Agang SA calls for Tlakula to step down

* This story has been edited to say that Norman du Plessis had retired not resigned, as pointed out by IEC spokeswoman Kate Bapela.

Johannesburg - Agang SA on Thursday urged Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) chairwoman Pansy Tlukula to step down until after the elections.

Agang SA spokesman Paul O'Sullivan said Tlakula and Stephen Langtry should step down in the interest of a free and fair election.

A forensic investigation by auditors PriceWaterhouseCoopers on behalf of the National Treasury on the procurement of the IEC's Riverside Office Park building in Centurion, Pretoria was released last week.

The report indicated the procurement process was not fair, transparent, or cost-effective.

It also found that Tlakula did not give guidance or formally inform various people what was expected of them in the process.

“Against this background, it is critical that the IEC remains above reproach.

“It simply cannot do that with Tlakula and Langtry still in their positions,” said O’Sullivan.

He said the level of integrity and ethics in the IEC had evaporated, placing oversight of the elections at risk, and calling the whole organisation into doubt.

Agang SA also called on deputy chief electoral officer Norman du Plessis to step down, but IEC spokeswoman Kate Bapela said he had retired.

Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele said teachers who had in the past been deployed to manage polling stations and were members of the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) should be removed from this role.

“There is an inherent conflict of interest in Sadtu members operating as electoral officers in a multi-party election process,” Ramphele said.